Chapter 274 - 269: Ill-fated with Kin
By the time Song Shujing came to her senses, she was gone from the room.
Song Shujing froze for a moment, then picked the doll up from the floor, cradled it in her arms again, and resumed her task of lulling it to sleep.
She was hallucinating again.
Jiang Li came out and sat on a nearby chair.
The memory of Kun Sha’s voice begging for mercy echoed in her ears, but Jiang Li felt it wasn’t enough. She was filled with regret. ’I should have locked him up and tortured him, piece by piece.’
"Your mother didn’t do it on purpose back then. She was tortured by Kun Sha and his men for trying to protect Uncle Li’s family. By the time they released her, you were already gone."
"She lost her mind during that period. The next thing she knew, she was in a mental hospital."
Lu Xingye sat beside her, watching her.
"I don’t blame her. I just... I just don’t know what to do." Jiang Li leaned back in her chair as a wave of helplessness washed over her.
’I can’t even save myself.’
After a moment, Jiang Li composed herself and reappeared at the doorway, looking at Song Shujing inside.
She pushed the door open and went inside. "Will you come with me?"
Song Shujing looked at the reappeared Jiang Li and tilted her head, unable to tell if this was real or another hallucination.
But she wanted to.
Like a child who had just been given candy, she happily reached out to her.
Jiang Li took her hand, holding the funerary urn in her other arm as she got into the car.
Song Shujing stared blankly at the box in Jiang Li’s arms. A photo of a young Shao Zhenhua was affixed to it.
Song Shujing clapped her hands happily. "Brother Hua didn’t lie to me! He said that after his mission was over, our family could be reunited."
Song Shujing looked up at her again. "Little Treasure, how did you get so big all of a sudden?"
Jiang Li bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.
"Yes, I’m all grown up now."
Lu Xingye loaded Song Shujing’s things into the trunk. There wasn’t much—just a closet’s worth of dolls.
When they got home, Song Shujing fearfully blocked Jiang Li’s path, looking warily at the strangers before her.
"It’s okay. They’re all good people."
Hearing Jiang Li’s words, she nodded but continued to clutch the corner of her clothes, afraid Jiang Li would disappear if she let go.
Jiang Li took Song Shujing to the bathroom to get cleaned up. She was very obedient, not crying or making a fuss, just staring blankly at her.
Jiang Li kept her head down, silently helping her wash, and frantically looked away every time their eyes met.
Lu Xingye gave a brief explanation to Yu Huannian and the others. With the strong resemblance between Jiang Li and Song Shujing, it was obvious to anyone what their relationship was.
After Song Shujing was clean, Jiang Li led her out of the bathroom.
At the dinner table, Song Shujing picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in Jiang Li’s bowl.
Jiang Li looked down at the braised pork in her bowl. ’Does she remember that I like this, or is it just a coincidence?’
When Song Shujing saw she wasn’t eating, a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. She looked at her cautiously. "Does Little Treasure not like braised pork anymore?"
Jiang Li looked down and shook her head. "No, I still like it."
’Eating meat was a luxury when I was a child. How could I possibly not like it?’
After dinner, Lu Xingye looked at Jiang Li. "What are your plans for your father’s ashes?"
"We’ll go to the same cemetery where Aunt Yu is."
Lu Xingye nodded. "Alright."
Jiang Li glanced at her phone, which she’d had turned off all day, but in the end, decided to leave it off.
’I’m busy. I don’t have time to worry about other people’s problems.’
Jiang Li had Wu Ming help her choose an auspicious date in the near future. When the day arrived, she laid Shao Zhenhua to rest.
When it came time to engrave the headstone, Jiang Li thought for a moment and decided to leave it blank. It felt right that way.
After taking care of everything, Jiang Li returned home to find Yu Hongqian, who had rushed over from City A.
’My house is already full.’
Yu Hongqian glanced at her. "Don’t worry about it. I just came to see my grandfather. I’ll be heading back soon."
Yu Zhen Guo had come over without telling anyone, which had worried everyone, especially given his age.
"Alright, I know my limits. You should head back now." Yu Zhen Guo waved his hand dismissively, shooing him away.
He had been with his own family for so long; for his remaining days, he wanted to be with Shuzhen’s child.
Yu Hongqian understood his grandfather’s intentions. He nodded and left with his men.
After the flurry of activity, Jiang Li felt strange in the sudden quiet. It was as if she had just woken from a long dream.
But she knew all too well that none of it was a dream. She was slowly gaining new responsibilities, new reasons to live.
"What’s on your mind, Jiang Li?" Wu Ming asked, noticing her dazed expression and leaning in curiously.
"Nothing. I just wanted to space out for a bit now that things have calmed down."
Wu Ming looked at her. "Well, you could go on a trip. It’d be a good way to clear your head."
Jiang Li shook her head. "No, I’m not going. I just want to get some proper rest."
Once she was rested, she still needed to take Song Shujing to the hospital for a check-up.
Half a month later, Song Shujing began to relax and was no longer so wary of everyone. However, she would often stare at Jiang Li until she started to cry.
Jiang Li took Song Shujing to the hospital for an examination, and the results were far worse than she had imagined.
Jiang Li stared at Song Shujing’s medical report, her mind refusing to process the words. Hysterectomy, a missing kidney, long-term complications from improper medical care, post-traumatic stress disorder...
The doctor’s recommendation echoed in her head: Song Shujing’s body was too weak to risk surgery. It was best for her family to simply spend as much time with her as possible.
The world spun around Jiang Li. Once the initial shock subsided, a bitter smile touched her lips.
Back home with Song Shujing, Jiang Li stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Wu Ming, am I... just doomed when it comes to family? Otherwise, why does everyone I get close to die, one after another?"
Wu Ming opened her mouth to speak, but then simply reached out and hugged her. "Don’t say such foolish things."
Jiang Li looked numbly at Song Shujing, and her thoughts drifted to Aunt Yu.
’I feel so heartbroken, but what’s the use? In the end, I can only watch them leave.’
Jiang Li started shutting herself in again, not wanting to go anywhere. Even a single lap around the house felt exhausting.
Song Shujing followed her around like a little shadow, never speaking. She would hide various trinkets, only to present them to Jiang Li like precious treasures when the two of them were alone.
She would secretly cut up bedsheets and quilt covers to make doll after doll.
More and more things began accumulating in her room—so many that she couldn’t bear to look at them.
She blamed everything on Kun Sha. She became obsessed with finding ways to torture him, to make him pay for what he had done.
It was Wu Ming who opened the door when Luo Jingheng arrived.
He could feel that something was wrong with the house before he even stepped inside. Following Wu Ming, he found Jiang Li in the small garden, squatting on the ground and digging a hole.
Luo Jingheng walked closer and looked down. She was holding a dozen or so straw dolls. They were all labeled with Kun Sha’s name. One was labeled with her own.
Luo Jingheng crouched down. "This is useless. It’s time to release him—to the eighteen levels of hell."
Jiang Li’s gaze slowly came into focus. She turned her head to look at Luo Jingheng. "Does a place like that really exist?"
Luo Jingheng gave her a gentle smile. "It does. Anything is possible. And I can help you."
Only then did Jiang Li stand up. She looked around, dazed, and finally registered that the person next to her was Luo Jingheng.
"Luo Jingheng? What are you doing here?"
"I came to thank you."